White House Economic Report Touts TIGER, High-Speed Rail, Transit
The White House Council of Economic Advisers' first annual report under President Obama made headlines today for its gloomy job-creation outlook, but tucked inside its 462 pages is a tangible reflection of a changed outlook on transportation policy under the new administration.
February 12, 2010
Today’s Headlines
New York officials announce that Broadway will remain car-free in midtown (Streetsblog NYC) In the quest for bike-friendly cities, are snobby cyclists their own worst enemies? (A. Prospect) D.C. responds to its weather challenges by building new infrastructure: a snow mountain (WSJ) Korea eyes an estimated $45B deal to help build California’s high-speed rail network … Continued
February 12, 2010
Bipartisan Senate Jobs Bill Has Highway Trust Fund Rescue But No TIGER
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and his panel's senior Republican, Chuck Grassley (IA), today offered a job-creation proposal designed to garner enough GOP votes to overcome an anticipated filibuster.
February 11, 2010
D.C., VA, MD to Apply for Federal Aid as Snow Eats Into Transport Budgets
Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia are set to apply for federal disaster aid to offset the costs of cleanup from this month's record-breaking mid-Atlantic blizzards, according to the Washington Post reports today. But the so-called Snowpocalypse could dent more than just worker productivity -- already crunched transportation budgets are also on the line.
February 11, 2010
Today’s Headlines
How Florida’s congressional delegation helped make its high-speed rail award happen (HuffPost) Michael Lindenberger responds to this week’s online back-and-forth over taxing gas v. VMT (Morn News) Senate jobs bill — with a highway trust fund extension but no TIGER money — expected to be delayed for 10 more days (WSJ) Chinese high-speed rail proving … Continued
February 11, 2010
AASHTO Stimulus Report Omits Jobs Data Comparing Transit With Roads
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the trade group representing state DOTs in Washington, yesterday unveiled a website
and report billed as a one-year "progress report" on the White House's $34.3 billion in formula-based transportation stimulus spending.
February 10, 2010
The Gas Tax Versus a VMT Tax: Is ‘All of the Above’ an Option?
The prospect of an eventual move away from the gas tax and towards a fee on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has sparked consternation from some well-known bloggers this week, with Matt Yglesias asserting that "a VMT [tax] has no advantages whatsoever over higher gasoline taxes" and Andrew Samwick suggesting that declining fuel tax revenues mean that tax rates need to go even higher.
February 10, 2010
Today’s Headlines
Early draft of Senate jobs bill emerges: $20B for the highway trust fund and Build America Bond language, but no new funding for TIGER grants (Politico) AASHTO unveils website touting more than 280,000 “highway and transit jobs” created or sustained by the stimulus law’s focus on transportation — Democrats hail the news (EPW Press) In … Continued
February 10, 2010
First Lady Launches Childhood Obesity Push With Nod to Biking & Walking
First Lady Michelle Obama took to the mikes this afternoon to kick off a national campaign to combat childhood obesity, emphasizing new initiatives to promote biking and walking alongside a strong focus on healthier food options in schools.
February 9, 2010
New Report Maps a High-Speed Rail Link For Every Major U.S. City
Now that the Obama administration has awarded $8 billion in high-speed rail grants to more than two dozen states, with $2.5 billion more coming soon, why not keep thinking big when it comes to bullet-train expansion?
February 9, 2010